National award of excellence presented to Water Council
October 27, 2015

NATIONAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE PRESENTED TO THE WATER COUNCIL FOR ADVANCING REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, Oct. 27, 2015 – The Water Council was named the winner of SSTI’s 2015 Excellence in TBED award for ‘Improving Competitiveness of Existing Industries,’ serving as a national model for states and regions investing in science, technology and innovation to grow their economies and create high-paying jobs.

The ‘Improving Competitiveness of Existing Industries’ TBED (technology-based economic development) award The Water Council received is presented to initiatives that expand the innovation capacity of existing companies or industries to develop new leading edge products or services or significantly enhance the competitiveness of their existing operations.

“The 2015 SSTI Excellence in TBED award winners have cultivated economic prosperity in their region through impressive initiatives that support science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Dan Berglund, SSTI president and CEO. “This group, along with past winners, exhibits that sustained economic prosperity can be achieved through excellence in tech-based economic development.”

“The Water Council is truly honored to be recognized by SSTI along with the other winners this year, and thank SSTI for their support and innovative approach to tech-based economic development,” said Dean Amhaus, president and CEO of The Water Council. “We look forward to bringing this national award home and sharing the honor with our water technology companies in Wisconsin.”

Awards were presented today during a ceremony at SSTI’s Annual Conference in Oklahoma City, OK, attended by more than 250 local, regional and national leaders in economic development from 43 states, Ontario Canada and the District of Columbia.

Other SSTI TBED award recipients include: TechAccel from Kansas State University received the ‘Most Promising TBED Initiative,’ the Matching Grants Research Program in Florida received the ‘Expanding Research Capacity’ award, and the Innovation Fund Northeast Ohio – Lorain County Community College was awarded the ‘Building Entrepreneurial Capacity’ award.

About The Water Council
The Water Council was established in 2009 by Milwaukee-area businesses, education and government leaders. The nonprofit organization, consisting of more than 170 members, links together global water technology companies, innovative water entrepreneurs, acclaimed academic research programs and, most importantly, some of the nation’s brightest and most energetic water professionals. The Water Council is capturing the attention of the world and transforming the Milwaukee region into a World Water Hub for freshwater research, economic development and education. Statewide, the water technology industry has more than 200 companies in Wisconsin, over 20 academic partners with water-based curriculum, and water-technology exports growing by 7.4 percent in 2014.

About SSTI
The State Science and Technology Institute is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving initiatives that support prosperity through science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. www.ssti.org